Suction cleaner nozzle height adjustment



March 31, 1953 D. c. GERBER 2,632,915

SUCTION CLEANER NOZZLE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Filed June 10. 1950 20 l INVENTOR. 4 5y 2 fiale C Gerber ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER NOZZLE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Dale G. Gerber, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application June 10, 1950, Serial No. 167,289

2 Claims- (CL 15-339) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to means for adjust ing the nozzle for cleaning floor coverings of various thicknesses.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved nozzle adjusting device in a suction cleaner. A further object is to provide a nozzle adjusting device which cannot be operated until the nozzle is moved to a certain position. Another object is to provide means embodied in the nozzle adjusting device to prevent operation of the latter until the means have been moved to a certain position. A further object is to provide an overcenter acting lever for adjusting the nozzle. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings wherein:

Figure 1' is a side view of a suction cleaner showing the nozzle adjusting lever in full lines for low nozzle position and relatively thin surface coverings, and in dotted lines the lower end of the lever abuts a latch member preventing further movement of the lever; and

Figure 2 shows the nozzle adjusting device maintaining the nozzle in its high position for relatively thick surface coverings.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a suction cleaner having a main has a portion 29 which rests against the surface 30 of the cleaner body to limit counterclockwise movement of the frame 25. A plurality of coiled springs 32, only one of which is shown, each have one end abutting the body surface 39 and the opposite end rests on the frame 25. The springs 32 at all times urge the wheels 2| away from the body and the end 29 of the frame into engagement with the body surface 30. When the end.

29 of the frame 25 engages the body surface 39 the rear wheels 2| are spaced a certain distance from the cleaner body to maintain the nozzle lip l8 at its low position with respect to the surface When the upper lever arm 31 is in the full line position shown in Figure 1, the lever is positioned for low nozzle adjustment and when in the position shown in Figure 2 the nozzle is in its high position for relatively thick floor coverings. The

body It including a nozzle it connected by a suction air passageway [2 to an unshown suction creating means which discharges dirt-laden air rou h. a i eustn s ew v to a bag The nozzles H is provided with a perimeter lip l8 for operative engagement with the floor covering, and rotatably mounted in the nozzle is an agitator l5 driven by a belt 16 extending through the suction air passageway 12 to an unshown motor in the housing l1. The cleaner is supported on a pair of front and rear wheels 20 and 2| respectively, only one of each being shown, and the front wheels 20 may be supported on unshown shaft means which are rotatable with respect to the body. A handle 22 is pivotally mounted on the body for propelling the cleaner over the surface being cleaned. A converter seat 23 is provided in the body to receive a converter element for connecting dusting tools to the source of suction.

The rear wheels are rotatably mounted on a frame 25 pivotally supported on a pin 26 carried in a bracket 21 on the cleaner body. The forward end 28 of the frame 25 projects into the converter seat 23 to form a barrier against inserting the converter element when the nozzle I I is used for on-the-floor cleaning, and the lever words High and Low are provided on the cleaner body to indicate the nozzle positions of the lever.

The lower lever arm 38 is provided with a hook 42 which receives a latch pin 43 projecting from the frame 25 to lock the wheels 2| closer to the cleaner body and thus raise the nozzle lip l8 from the surface 44, as shown in Figure 2, for

cleaning relatively thick surface coverings- The latch pin 43 abuts the end 45 of the hook 42, as

shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, to prevent locking engagement with the hook 42 unless the rear end of the cleaner body is first depressed against the force of springs 32 to raise the pin 43 above the hook 42 to permit movement of the latter under the pin 43. A spring 41 is secured to the lever at 48 and to the cleaner body at 49 and is so arranged with respect to the pivot 36 to retain the lever 35 in either its low or high nozzle positions.

In operating the cleaner on relatively thin rugs the lever 35 is placed in its low position, shown in full lines in Figure 1, and the springs 32 urge the wheels away from and the frame portion 29 against the cleaner body to adjust the nozzle lip I8 to its optimum position with respect to the rug 33.

If a relatively thick rug 44 is to be cleaned, the nozzle is adjusted by the operator depressing the The upper rear end of the cleaner against the force of the springs 32 to move the wheels 2| toward the cleaner body and raise the latch pin 43 out of the path of the hook 42. The operator then applies a force on the knurled portion 40 of the lever 35 to pivot the latter clockwise to its high nozzle position, which places the hook 42 beneath the latch pin 43. The depressing force on the cleaner is then removed and the springs 32 urge the cleaner body upwardly to seat the pin 43 in the hook 42. The latch pin 43 being normally in the path of the hook 42 prevents the lever 35 from moving over center to indicate high nozzle position, until after the hook 42 is in position to receive the latch pin 43. The spring 47 retains the lever 35 in its over-center position shown in Figure 2.

In order to restore the nozzle lip to its low position the operator depresses the rear end of the cleaner body and moves the knurled portion 44 of the lever 35 counterclockwise to remove the hook 42 from the pin 43 to the full line position shown in Figure 1, and the spring 47 retains the lever in its over-center position.

While I have shown and described but a single modification of my invention, it is to be understood that this modification is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structures shown and described, but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle for cleaning a surface, supporting wheels for said body, a frame for, said wheels mounted on said body for movement of said wheels relative to said body to adjust said nozzle to a first and second position with respect to the surface, resilient means urging said frame and wheels to one position to adjust said nozzle in its first position, a latch member on said frame, a unitary lever pivoted on said body and movable to over-center positions for adjusting said nozzle to its first and second positions, said unitary lever having a force receiving arm for a manually applied force to move said lever to indicate said first and second positions of said nozzle, said unitary lever having a latch arm to lock said latch member and thus said wheels to adjust said nozzle in its second'position, spring means on said body and. lever to maintain the latter in its over-center positions indicating the adjustment of. said nozzle, said resilient means when said nozzle is in its first position, exerting a force on said frame to resistingly maintain said latch member in the path of said lever latch arm to prevent movement of said lever to its second nozzle position, movement of said body with respect to said frame against the force of said resilient means displacing said latch member to permit movement of said lever latch arm into over-center position for locking engagement with said latch member to adjust said nozzle in its second position and said force receiving lever arm to indicate said nozzle is in said second position.

2. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle for cleaning a surface, rear supporting wheels for said body, a frame for said rear supporting wheels movably supported on said body for movement of said rear wheels toward and from said body to adjust said nozzle, a portion of said frame engaging said body limiting movement of said rear wheels from said body to adjust said nozzle in a low position with respect to the surface, resilient means urging said rear wheels from said body and said frame, portion against said body to resiliently maintain said nozzle in said low position, a latch member on said frame, a unitary lever pivoted on said body and movable to over-center positions to adjust said nozzle to low and high positions and having a, latch lever arm for receiving said latch member when said nozzle is moved to high position, said unitary" lever having a force receiving lever arm to move said lever to indicate the high and low nozzle positions, spring means on said body and lever to maintain the latter in its over-center positions indicating the adjustment of said nozzle, said resilient means positioning said latch member to prevent locking engagement with said latch lever arm when said nozzle is in said low position, depressing said body toward said' rear wheels against the force of said resilient means resulting in moving said latch member to a position to permit said latch lever arm to be moved to high nozzle position and in looking engagement with said latch member.

, DALE C.. GERBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of. record in the file. of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,325,821 White Aug. 3, 1943 2,389,877 Snyder Nov. 27, 1945 2,409,082 Troxler Oct. 8, 1946 

